Bob Brookover

COLUMNIST

Sports columnist Bob Brookover joined the Inquirer in 2000 as the Phillies beat writer after long stints in the same role with the Camden Courier-Post and the Delaware County Daily Times. He also served as the National League columnist for ESPN. He made the move from rawhide to pigskin in 2003 and covered the Eagles for seven years before returning to his roots as the Inquirer's baseball columnist in 2010. He became a general sports columnist in 2013 and loves covering a variety of sports and events.

The Inquirer, with input from Phillies beat writer Matt Gelb, super sub Marc Narducci and myself, recently put together a list of the Phillies’ top 25 prospects heading into the 2013 season. The top 10 will be revealed in the Sunday Inquirer with the following 15 coming in the Monday newspaper.

Look for a bonus list Monday of some of the prospects who did not make our list, but were in the conversation.

The best part about our top 25 list is that Phillies director of player development Joe Jordan agreed to comment on each of the players on our list.

Jordan briefly discussed the Phillies’ catching situation, which is intriguing at all levels, but it did not fit into what we were doing with our list.

Carlos Ruiz, of course, is serving a 25-game suspension to start the season because of a failed drug test last year. Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. has indicated that the team will go with veterans Erik Kratz and possibly Humberto Quintero to start the season. He has not ruled out adding another veteran catcher.

Catching became a position of depth for the organization when the Phillies acquired Tommy Joseph from San Francisco in the Hunter Pence trade. Joseph and Sebastian Valle are the two most advanced catchers in the farm system and both appear ready for triple-A Lehigh Valley. Valle, in fact, finished last season with the Iron Pigs after Joseph joined the organization and became the top catcher at double-A Reading.

Cameron Rupp, a third-round pick in 2010, increased his value with a strong season at single-A Clearwater and it’s possible the Phillies will want him to remain the guy behind the plate at Reading for prospects such as Jesse Biddle, Adam Morgan and Austin Wright.

Jordan was asked if it was possible that Joseph and Valle could share the catching duties at Lehigh Valley.

“I don’t think that would be ideal,” he said. “We have some challenges ahead getting everybody in the right spot. Exactly where that is going to be has been heavily discussed, but yet to be determined.”

Shortstop Roman Quinn, the team’s second-round pick in 2011, also has Jordan excited because of his “top-of-the-scale speed.”

“We have to take our time, but he has a chance to impact a game in a lot of ways,” Jordan said. “He has to stay hungry. He was very hungry last year and he can’t lose that.”

Quinn, 19, will open this season at single-A Lakewood.

Read all about the top 25 prospects in the Sunday and Monday Inquirer and let us know what your list would look like.

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